Today’s grind

Alex Cobb and Wei-Yin Chin face off today in a heated battle of tolerable waiver starter.

Jarrod Parker would be a better option if he weren’t burdened with defeating the Rangers.

Pitcher (bum): The Tigers will deliver the coup de grace to the White Sox if they can defeat Bruce Chen and the Royals tonight.

The Nationals are in a similar position, although their victory will merely ensure that the Braves host the Wild Card game. The Nationals and Reds are currently tied for the best record in the National League, so the Nats have plenty of incentive to finish hot. They’ll try their hands against Kyle Kendrick tonight.

The White Sox are praying to stay alive and correct their season-killing slump. Corey Kluber and the Indians are likely to cooperate, but they need to sweep and see the Tigers swept in turn.

Hitter (power): Darin Ruf, the minor league home run king, has an everyday job for the remainder of the season. I don’t think a right-handed power hitter could ask for a better match-up than John Lannan.

Delmon Young‘s become popular around these parts. I recently recommended him in a start against Chen and I see no reason not to repeat it.

Jonny Gomes and Martin Perez will meet to discuss philosophy and whether Perez will allow Gomes to hit a ball 400 feet.

Hitter (speed): Will Venable wants to finish the season on a high note. I know his motivations.

Tomorrow’s grind

Pitcher (to start): Carlos Villanueva has had a solid season, despite that I’ve rarely if ever recommended in his favor. If you need the innings, his match-up against the Twins is tolerable.

Jacob Turner has pitched well of late. I’m extremely skeptical, but I also haven’t seen these outings, so maybe he has turned a corner. In any case, good recent performance plus a Mets match-up plus the end of the season equals a playable pickup.

There are others I want to recommend, but they’re just not good picks for tomorrow.

Pitcher (bum): Chris Volstad keeps facing crappy teams, which might be the difference between his current high sixes ERA and an ERA over eight. He’s having some kind of horrible season, but the Cubs have stuck with him.

I wanted to recommend in favor of Patrick Corbin, but young pitchers sometimes crumble at the end of the season. He’s looked quite bad in his last few outings.

Reliever watch

About Brad Johnson

Brad is a former collegiate player who writes for FanGraphs, MLB Trade Rumors, The Hardball Times, RotoWorld, and The Fake Baseball. He's also the lead MLB editor for RotoBaller. Follow him on Twitter @BaseballATeam or email him here.